SInce I began watching baseball, I always understood that the All-Star Game was a big deal. That the players that were a part of it were some of the very best that baseball had to offer. As I grew up and started paying attention to stats. I noticed that every single year, tons of deserving players have been snubbed each year. This year, however, had the most unbelievable snubs out of all the years that I can think of.

Joey Votto-The number one snub in my mind is Votto. I guess leading the league in OPS and ranking near the top of every other offensive stat doesn’t get you what it used to! I do understand that he is playing a tough position to get recognition. Albert Pujols is going to get voted in every year, Adrian Gonzalez was the lone representative of the Padres (More on that later), and Manager Charlie Manual picked his first baseman Ryan Howard.

Jeff Weaver– “The Dream Weaver” has been snubbed for what in my count is the third year in a row. The fact that he was a snub before should be enough reason to give him a bid. Weaver is leading the league in strike outs, and is tied in the league for quality starts. He is also among the top ten in both WHIP and ERA. Oh and by the way, this game is being played in his home stadium. Definitely deserved a spot over Fausto Carmona, CC Sabathia, or Phil Hughes.

Miguel Olivo– Olivo is hitting .070 points higher, has 8 more home runs, and has an ops of almost .300 points more than the voted starter at catcher, Yadier Molina. Olivo is leading all National League catchers in batting average, slugging percentage, home runs, and OPS.

San Diego Padres Pitching Staff– The fact that out of starters Mat Latos, Jon Garland, Clayton Richard, and reliever Heath Bell not one member of the Padres’ pitching staff made it is a joke. I cannot remember the last time a first place team had only one representative.

Other mistakes

Michael Young deserved a spot as reserve third baseman over Alex Rodriguez. But of course with Yankees’ manager Joe Girardi managing the team, who didn’t see this one coming?

David DeJesus is hitting .324 and has an OBP near .440. Where is he?

The lone Orioles’ representative should have been outfielder Nick Markakis not Ty Wiggington.

Brennan Boesch is having the season that everybody expected Jason Heyward to have as a rookie. Boesch is hitting near .350 with an OPS around 1.000. By far the best offensive rookie in the Major Leagues.

I understand the at least one player-per-team rule, but Arizona’s Chris Young and Houston’s Michael Bourn should had been picked over outfielders like Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez, Washington’s Josh WIllingham, Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen, or Philadelphia’s Jayson Werth.

Those are only a few of the many mistakes made while filling out these two teams.

Fans of Major League Baseball usually treat the “Mid-Summer Classic” as a way of seeing all of their favorite baseball players, whether they deserve to be there or not. This season appears to be no exception. That is at least for fans of the National League.

I am of the school of thought that the All-Star Game is an honor that should go to players whose stats during the first half of the season make them deserving of such an honor. Recently, the fan vote has been making this game a popularity contest (for the most part). I has been apparent that Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies fans have either been more heard or more biased than the rest of baseball.

I won’t get into an argument about this being a game for the fans vs. having the best team regardless of stats with it deciding home field advantage in the World Series. I will however, argue with some of the most recent leaders in positions for both league.

First Base:

American League– Maybe the most talent-filled position in all of baseball. If you were to tell me that The one two spots would have a difference of about only 300,000 I would say that made sense. However, if you told me that second place belonged to Mark Teixeira of the Yankees I would have to shake my head in shame. Justin Morneau of the Twins, Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, Paul Konerko of the White Sox, Billy Butler of the Royals and Kevin Youkilis (to name a few) are all more deversant than Tex to have a spot at the All-Star Game.

Leader- Justin Morneau, Twins.

My pick- Justin Morneau, Twins.

National League– Much like with the American League, this might be the position with the most players deserving on a bid. Albert Pujols of the Cardinals is always going to be the leader because he is the best player in the league. However, one can argue that Adrian Gonzalez (Padres), Joey Votto (Reds), and Ryan Howard (Phillies) all have better numbers than Pujols.

Leader- Albert Pujols, Cardinals.

My pick- Joey Votto, Reds.

Second Base:

American League– This might be the biggest runaway race in any position in the bigs. The Yankee’s Robinson Cano is the only player worth mentioning.

Leader- Robinson Cano, Yankees.

My pick- Robinson Cano, Yankees.

National League– Fan favorite Chase Utley of the Phillies is running away with this race in the polls. However, he is not having a season worth of a trip to Anaheim this summer. Martin Prado of the Braves is leading the league in hitting and Brandon Phillips of the Reds is having an Utley-like year so far. With Utley on the disabled list, the deserving player should get the nod afterall.

Leader- Chase Utley, Phillies.

My pick- Martin Prado, Braves.

Third Base:

American League– Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays is quickly becoming the best player in baseball. The former Rookie of the Year is opening eyes and becoming the new face of baseball. That being said, Adrian Beltre of the Red Sox (No, he didn’t retire, he just played in Seattle for five seasons) is putting up some ridiculous numbers for a team that has desperately needed a rock in the middle of the line up to help Kevin Youkilis. Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees and Michael Young of the Rangers are up to their usual ways as well.

Leader- Evan Longoria, Rays.

My pick- Adrian Beltre, Red Sox.

National League– This one of the cases I was talking about earlier. The Phillies’ Placido Polanco is putting up some good number but Scott Rolen (Reds), David Wright (Mets), and Ryan Zimmerman (Nationals) are all more deserving of the honor to start. Polanco is on the dl so that means that a more deserving player will start.

Leader- Placido Polanco, Phillies.

My pick- David Wright, Mets.

Shortstop:

American League– As usual, Derek Jeter of the Yankees has a huge lead. As usual, that should not be the case.

Leader- Derek Jeter, Yankees.

My pick- Alex Gonzalez, Blue Jays.

National League– For a while, Jimmy Rollins (Phillies) had been leading at short. The only problem is that he had only played 12 games. The most deserving player is Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies), but he is disabled so it appears that the starter will be Hanley Ramirez (Marlins) once again.

Leader- Hanley Ramirez, Marlins.

My pick- Hanley Ramirez, Marlins.

Catcher:

American League– It is always hard to argue against the reigning MVP. Joe Mauer of the Twins is leading in voting, and deservingly so. The only two catcher’s whose numbers pop out are Victor Martinez (Indians) and Joe Buck (Blue Jays). Martinez is on the dl, so Buck should at least be the back up.

Leader- Joe Mauer, Twins.

My pick- Joe Mauer, Twins.

National League– Last update, the leader was Yadier Molina of the Cardinals. Quite frankly, with a batting average of .240 any other catcher in the league is more deserving than him. Molina shouldn’t be starting for his team, much less the National League. The truth is that Miguel Olivo of the Rockies is by the far the best offensive catcher this season, and no one but him should be starting this game.

It has seemed that the umpiring throughout baseball has been more controversial than usual. I got a first hand look at the recent futility of the major league umpires right off the bat (pun intended).

It was opening day, The Cubs were down to the Braves in a close shoot-out early in the game. Marlon Byrd hit a line drive that fell as Braves’ outfielder, Nate McLouth, dove to no avail… At least, it appeared that way. The Umpires determined that it was caught by McLouth, and the Braves went on to beat the Cubs 16-5.

Picture courtesy of MLB Videos.

Of course I was mad as I watched my Cubs get the shaft on a blown call, but I cannot stand seeing the umpires blow a call against any team in the Majors.

We all know how The Astros’ Roy Oswalt and The White Sox’s Mark Buehrle were recently thrown out of their respective games by controversial calls made by umpires. Along with those three specific calls, there have been numerous blown calls this season already.

However, Jim Joyce takes the cake. 28-year-old pitcher Armando Galarraga was one out away from throwing the 21st perfect game in MLB history. As Indians’ Shortstop Jason Donald pulled a weak ground ball to Tigers’ First Baseman Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera tossed the ball to Galarraga and the runner was out to complete the perfect game. Well, not if Joyce had something to say about that. The umpire called Donald safe. The blown call did not only ruin the perfect game, but it also took away a no-hitter.

Here’s a good look at the play in this picture taken from Keith Olberman’s blog

On a day when a perfect game by Galarraga and center fielder’s Austin Jackson’s catch to preserve it should have been the story–once again it’s Major League Baseball umpires.

It is time to bring Instant Replay to the Big Leagues. Not just for boundary home-run calls, but for close plays that could potentially determine the fate of the game.

In an age where the three other major sports (NFL, NBA, NHL) have instant replay, there is no excuse for baseball to be behind. In fact, there were 2 pivotal calls made on instant replay during tonight’s NHL’s Stanley Cup Final between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers.

So, it’s a week into the season and I realized that I had not finished making my predictions.

Now with that being said, I will now talk about the National League West.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have won this division two years in a row and the core of those two teams has basically stayed intact. They have a young good group of home-grown players such as pitchers Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw–and position players such as Andre Ethier, James Loney, Matt Kemp, and Russell Martin. Along with them, they have veteran presences like Vicente Padilla, Rafael Furcal, Manny Ramirez, and Casey Blake. Their pitching staff is not the strongest and neither is their bullpen, but Jonathan Broxton is a man that you do not want to face late in the game.

It is going to be a sad day then Adrian Gonzalez leaves the San Diego Padres. The Padres have been of re-building mode for the better part of the decade and have not been very successful as of yet. Besides A-Gon, no one really jumps at you as an established Major League hitter besides the Hairston brothers. Heath Bell is a good closer, but the Padres will struggle to give him the ball at the end of the game with a lead. After trading Peavy to the White Sox, it is pretty imminent that they will do the same with Gonzalez. Kyle Blanks, Everth Cabrera, Chase Headley, and Nick Hundley to build their team around along with sons of former Major Leaguers in Tony Gwynn Jr. and Will Venable respectively. However, these young players have ways to go in order to make it in the big leagues.

The Colorado Rockies and manager Jim Tracy were the feel-good story of the year in 2009. After replacing long-time manager Clint Hurdle, Tracy guided the Rockies all the way into winning the National League Wild Card. Troy Tulowitzski had a very strong year and many players emerged into contributors for the Rockies. The Rockies have a very strong bench consisting of Jason Giambi, Melvin Mora, Miguel Olivo, and Ryan Spilborghs. If Jeff Francis can come back healthy, their rotation will be one of the strongest in baseball with Ubaldo Jimenez, Jorge De La Rosa, and Aaron Cook. Manny Corpas, Rafael Betancourt, and Franklin Morales make up a very good bullpen. Once Huston Street comes back as closer, their team will be set as one of the strongest and deepest in baseball.

The San Francisco Giants have a scary starting rotation that consists of back-to-back Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, former Cy Young winner Barry Zito, and Jonathan Sanchez. they also have a very good bullpen with Brian WIlson at the end. The biggest key for the Giants is the additions of offensive players such as Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa. If they Giants can muster up any kind of offense to go along with their pitching, they will be dangerous.

Lastly, it’s the Arizona Diamondbacks. Youngsters Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds along with potential Cy Young winner Dan Haren make for a good core, but they will need more contributions if they want to contend. The D-backs need good years from newly-signed Adam LaRoche and a bounce back year from Chris Young. Their starting rotation is alright and their bullpen is decent at best. I do not think the Diamondbacks have enough, but who knows.

Today I will talk about the division that hits closest to home: The National League Central.

I am not shy about saying that I am a die-hard Cubs fan. In fact, I am currently wearing my Cubs hat. I might be drinking the Cubby kool-aid, but I have high expectations for this team. Marlon Byrd hit a home run in his first plate appearance as a Cub and although I don’t think that he will be a huge home run hitter for the Cubs, I do think that his production will more that double what Milton Bradley did last year for Chicago. Consistency will be a issue for Carlos Zambrano, Carlos Marmol, Geovanny Soto, and Alfonso Soriano. However if all of these players perfrom to even close to their abilities, the Cubs will be a force in the division. There are a lot of questions in the end of the rotation and throughout the bullpen, but I think that once Ted Lilly and Jeff Grey come back some of those questions will be answered. Another big key is that Carlos Silva can have a year similar to his years as Twin. If Silva can anywhere near that, the Cubs will have a solid 1-5.

The St. Louis Cardinals remain the team to beat, no doubt about that. However, I do not think that they are the hands-on favorite that most people think they are. yeah they have Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, but after them the rotation is pretty thin. Yadier Molina, Brandon Ryan, Skip Schumaker and Ryan Ludwick are nice hitters–but they are not star players. Albert Pujols is the best hitter in the league, and Matt Holliday is a very good hitter. That being said, the Cards have very little deph, and if one star player gets hurt they will be in trouble. Also, I do not think that Dennys Reyes, Jason Motte, and Ryan Franklin will ever be confused for the “Nasty Boys” of the Cincinnati Reds in the early ’90s.

That is called a segue, folks. Next is the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds have a lot of good young players in Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips, and Chris Dickerson. They also have good young pitchers in Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey, and Aroldis Chapman (who is currently in the minors.) However, with Edinson Volquez out for most of the season, i do not think the reds have enough to be serious contenders this season. Especially with a 1-2 punch of Aaron Harrang and Bronson Arroyo.

The Milwaukee have two of the most feared hitters in the league in Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. They have a good young shortstop in Alcides Escobar. They also have an young up-and-coming pitcher in Yovani Gallardo. Another plus for them is that they have the all-time leader in saves, Trevor Hoffman. Unfortunately, that is all that they have. I do not think that Ricky Weeks will stay healthy, so their offense is pretty limited.

The Houston Astros do not have a lot going for them. Lance Berkman is hurt and their rotation after Wandy Rodriguez is awful. Carlos Lee has been a very good hitter for about a decade. Also, Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn emerged last season, but the Astros are in no way, shape, or form a powerhouse.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are still the Pittsburgh Pirates. Garret Jones and Andrew McCutchen are fun young players to watch, but they won’t be in Pittsburgh for long. The Pirates will most likely not have a fire sale at the dead line again. That is hard to imagine since they basically traded away their whole roster the past two years.

The Philadelphia Phillies obviously remain the team to beast in this division. In fact, they probably remain the team to beat in the whole league. The 2008 world champions and 2009 NL champions added one of the best pitchers in the league in Roy Halladay. The only question for the Fightin’s is the bullpen, but that is a division-wide problem.

The Washington Redskins of baseball a.ka. the New York Mets had some of the worst injury problems in the whole league last season. They waved goodbye to Carlos Delgado and signed Jason Bay to a terrible contract in the offseason. Besides Johan Santana their rotation has absolutely no one. Besides Francisco Rodriguez, their bullpen is close to the worst in baseball. I think David Wright will bounce back. Also a healthy Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are keys to the Mets success in 2010.

The Atlanta Braves might have the best starting rotation in all of baseball. Youngsters Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurjjens will look to cement their names into the elite class of major league pitchers. Rookie phenomenon Jason Heyward will look to have a strong rookie season, and he will try to provide some much needed pop to a line-up filled with good hitters. They Braves did lose key members of their bullpen in Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez.

As is the case every year, the Florida Marlins will take the field with the lowest pay-roll in baseball and they will still find a way to compete. A nice rotation of Josh Johnson, Anibal Sanchez, Ricky Nolasco, Chris Volsatd, and Nate Robertson. Hanley Ramirez is my pick for NL MVP in 2010 and he might be enough to lead this Marlins team to a successful year.

The Washington Nationals improved their pitching by adding veteran starter jason Marquis and closer Matt Capps. They also have a good line-up that includes Ryan Zimerman and Adam Dunn. However until Stephen Strasburg joins the big league club, there will not reason to watch them.

I will conclude my prediction of the American League with the AL Central.

What can you say about the Minnesota Twins and Ron Gardenhire that hasn’t been said yet? Closer Joe Nathan may be out for the year, but you can never count out the Twinkies. The additions of Orlando Hudson, J.J. Hardy and Jim Thome will improve an already loaded line-up that includes Denard Span, Delmon Young, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Jason Kubel, and Michael Cuddyer. They might not have many big names in their pithing staff but you can never count out the Minnesota Twins!

In the past eight months the White Sox improved in all three phases of the game. The additions of Omar Vizquel and Andruw Jones as back-ups to Alexei Ramirez and Alex Rios are good moves. I also like the move that brought Juan Pierre as a replacement to Scott Podsednik. J.J. Putz will come in to a very sub-par bullpen. Also, a full season with Jake Peavy can only help. I do believe that his numbers will drop as he is a fly-ball pitcher in a hitter’s park.

The Kansas City Royals may potentially have the best rotation on the game. It is obvious what 2009 AL Cy Young winner Zack Greinke can do, as well as Gil Meche. The wild-cards are Kyle Davies, Brian Bannister, and Luke Hochevar. All three youngsters have shown flashes of greatness. Unfortunately, they have also shown inconstancy. Along with Greinke the bright spots were first-baseman Billy Butler and shut-down closer Joakim Soria. Scotty Podsednik and Rick Ankiel will look to provide help for Butler as far as offense goes. If the Royals learn how to hit and their young pitchers put it together, they will be the CInderella team this season.

In the last season and a half the Cleveland Indians have traded away C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, Casey Blake, and Ryan Garko. The Tribe still has Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner, but that’s about it.

The Detroit Tigers dumped two of their biggest contributors of the 2009 season. They signed Johnny Damon to replace Curtis Granderson and acquired Max Scherzer to replace Edwin Jackson. Rick Porcello and Justin Verlander will cement themselves a force to be reckoned with as far a 1-2 punches go. Miguel Cabrera will once again put up MVP-type numbers. Magglio Ordonez will bounce back and Jose Valverde will do a great job replacing Fernando Rodney as closer. It will not be enough for the Tigers though.